Basketball miracles

Chapter 54 [Too Perfect]

The Lakers have no games for the next three days, and Pat Riley announced a three-day break for the entire team. With the team on a winning streak, the coaching staff doesn't need to conduct high-intensity training; as long as the players are physically fit and in a good mood, they can deliver excellent performances.

Riley later liked to implement grueling training because the players on his team weren't that talented; how could they win a championship without hard work?

It must be said that Riley's approach was very effective. In this parallel universe, his coaching career was very successful; the only time he didn't win a championship was when he coached the Knicks, though he did reach the NBA Finals once.

Xiao Tu had asked for leave in advance, intending to miss two days of training, and Riley, in a good mood, approved it. Missing two days of training wouldn't affect Xiao Tu's performance, but Magic Johnson needed his regular training to find his shooting accuracy.

Xiao Tu is going abroad with Madonna to shoot a music video; it's a big production.

That evening, Xiao Tu traveled lightly with Madonna to Italy, an event that immediately made headlines in entertainment and sports news across multiple media outlets.

The two's fans, unaware of what was going on, were buzzing with discussion.

Is Sebastian Shaw going on a mid-season trip abroad with Madonna? Won't that affect his game?

"The young man has gotten arrogant. Even though the Lakers are on a winning streak, he should still focus on the basketball court. He's not far from becoming a superstar, so he should work even harder."

"I feel that Madonna will hinder Shaw's dominance in the NBA. He can't work as hard as he used to because he has a girlfriend."

"Why would Madonna date an NBA player? Shaw is over two meters tall and has too much bulk, he looks terrifying. Shaw, please be gentle, I'm worried about you."

They flew to Italy for more than four hours, stayed in a hotel for one night, and then went to Venice, the city of canals, where Madonna was going to film "Like a Virgin".

The music video was much easier to shoot than the original because the crew didn't hire a real lion to appear in the video, nor did they just find a random man to wear a silly lion mask.

Even a trained lion can be quite frightening if you bring a real one, and you'd have to contact a zoo or circus, which is quite a hassle.

If we're shooting it live, we'll have to buy insurance first; if the lion bites Madonna, it'll be a disaster. If she and the lion aren't in the same frame for a live shoot, we'll have to use special effects, which will greatly increase the difficulty of post-production.

The new music video has a simple storyline: aside from Madonna's solo performance in casual attire on the bow of a boat, it mainly consists of scenes of the couple showing affection. Some of the indoor scenes featuring Madonna in a wedding dress were already filmed in the United States.

Xiao Tu has close-up shots of his face, full-body shots from the front, and full-body shots from the back. He can hold his own from any angle, and the resulting shots are applause-worthy.

Xiao Tu has never worn makeup before, and he even appeared without makeup when filming the Snickers commercial. This time, to look better on camera, Madonna had a makeup artist apply light makeup to him.

The result was that he became even more handsome, and the crew praised his face as handsome from every angle.

As long as he's not in the same frame as Madonna, Xiao Tu looks like a model in a suit, with great proportions. Only when the two are in the same frame do people realize that he's a muscular man over two meters tall.

Xiao Tu carried Madonna in his arms with ease during filming; his arms didn't even shake. Madonna weighs only around 50 kilograms, so Xiao Tu could carry her for as long as he wanted without any problem.

Madonna was extremely satisfied with this, while the rest of the crew looked down on each other, seemingly showing off even without saying a word.

Look how amazing the man I chose is!

The film crew finished shooting the music video in one day, and the two spent another day in Venice. This time, they were sightseeing and enjoyed a local seafood feast, specialty ice cream, and steak pasta.

Xiao Tu no longer felt any resistance towards Madonna; in fact, he was somewhat afraid that he had almost missed out.

The lives of the wealthy are incredibly comfortable, regardless of the era. The two of them traveling together abroad, eating, drinking, and having fun, is truly romantic. Xiao Tu loves to have fun; he just hadn't found a suitable woman to travel with before.

His long-term single status isn't because he enjoys being single; it's just that there are too many messy things happening in America, and he has to be careful.

Madonna is career-oriented and wouldn't cling to him every day, wouldn't set up a honey trap, wouldn't transmit any diseases, and certainly wouldn't secretly have an illegitimate child and then sue him for huge alimony.

This woman is too perfect!

When the two returned to Los Angeles, the United States was once again filled with entertainment news about them.

Xiao Tu's exposure in the NBA has skyrocketed, completely surpassing Magic Johnson's. Because of his breakout success, many fans and casual observers are discussing him.

NFL and MLB stars envy Xiao Tu's fame; they've never seen anyone rise to fame so quickly. Unfortunately, this new path of dating A-list female celebrities isn't viable for other players, and their attempts have been futile. White female celebrities don't look favorably upon Black athletes, and high-achieving white athletes are generally not handsome enough to compare with Xiao Tu in terms of appearance. Currently in the United States, Xiao Tu is the only known example of a star athlete dating a top-tier singer.

There's no such thing as "sports and entertainment are inseparable" yet; when the two of them are together, there's news about them every day.

Xiao Tu didn't participate in team practice after returning to Los Angeles; Riley gave him an extra day of rest. The Lakers' next opponent isn't strong; the stars can easily handle it.

Xiao Tu returned to the team on the day of the competition. As soon as he entered the locker room, his teammates all came to chat with him, wanting to know what he and Madonna had done in Italy, and happily gossiping about it.

Xiao Tu is not only one of the core players on the court, but also in the locker room.

"Admiration for the strong" is a universal phenomenon in human behavior. People tend to worship, follow, or emulate individuals who demonstrate superior abilities or status in a certain field.

Xiao Tu's teammates often overlook his age; he is very mature in his dealings with others and has leadership qualities. In one word, he is "reliable."

Xiao Tu had nothing to hide and told everyone about his experiences in Italy. Everything else was fine, except he couldn't get used to the rare Italian T-bone steak and got diarrhea that night.

Magic Johnson asked the most lewd question: "How's Madonna's body? Do you like it?"

"Is that even a question? I'm envied by countless people right now."

Training began shortly afterward, and Xiao Tu breathed a sigh of relief. He hated being asked about his personal life, especially when his teammates egged him on if he didn't answer.

Professional athletes are full of energy, especially Black athletes; when they're quiet, their minds are filled with pornography. Xiao Tu doesn't like discussing his private life with them, and he certainly doesn't boast about his sexual prowess like they do.

With my physical condition, do I need to brag about this?
After practice, Coach Riley spoke with Xiao Tu privately. "It's a good thing that your fame has soared recently, but you still need to focus your main energy on the basketball court. Don't get too carried away, and keep an eye on yourself."

Xiao Tu said seriously, "Don't worry, I can't be distracted. My goal is to become an NBA superstar of all time, the greatest power forward in history, and I won't slack off until I achieve that goal."

Riley nodded, feeling that Xiao Tu's goal was ambitious and that he might be able to achieve it.

Actually, Xiao Tu's statement is a low-key one. His real goal is to become the greatest player in NBA history. He's not telling others yet, not because he's afraid of causing a stir, but because he's afraid of affecting team unity.

After all, he's just a rookie.

Playing for the Lakers, Xiao Tu is confident that he will do better than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson in the future.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is nearing retirement, and his stats will decline year by year. He's unlikely to win another MVP award; he can only hope to win a few more championships with the Lakers.

Johnson has character flaws, which are obvious to everyone. He not only lacks self-discipline, but also lacks the desire to score.

Riley made it clear to Johnson that he hoped Johnson would contend for the regular season MVP this season. However, Johnson still didn't take many shots and averaged less than 20 points per game.

Johnson unconsciously slacks off whenever his teammates play well, passing the ball out and then standing still to watch. His performance on the defensive end is even worse; he often leads the charge in throwing the game when the lead is large, which is a defining characteristic of his.

Xiao Tu knew that he would definitely become the Lakers' primary scorer in the future.

He won't be as lazy as Johnson; he'll work tirelessly to rack up good stats, because that affects the quality of the loot box. If he had Johnson's passing awareness, he would definitely try to average a triple-double.

Unfortunately, his passing isn't good enough; passing awareness is his biggest weakness right now, and he struggles to get more than five assists in a single game. His dribbling skills are also lacking; when facing the basket with the ball, he has to shoot as quickly as possible, otherwise he gets nervous.

Riley saw potential in Xiao Tu and began assigning him ball-handling and offensive duties in the second quarter to develop his individual skills. Initially, his focus was on maintaining scoring efficiency, while his ball possession could be gradually increased.

James Worthy is unlikely to get a lot of touches anymore, and if he doesn't leave the Lakers, he'll be a role player for life.

Xiao Tu really liked Woxi because this guy was unassuming and willing to play a supporting role; he was a hardworking and dedicated old ox.

He didn't seem to want to prove himself on other teams, and the Lakers management probably wouldn't have needed to offer him a super high salary when they re-signed him in 1986. He was truly an excellent piece of the championship puzzle.

(End of this chapter)